Election Monitoring, Financing Essential

Much depends on how you value a load-bearing wall. Those who know that it holds up the house respect it. Those for whom it's just a space divider see no problem with shaving it down to take up less room.

The State Elections Enforcement Commission monitors Connecticut election integrity and is of structural importance, a load-bearing wall. Yet, columnist Kevin Rennie once again proposes that our legislators should whittle it down [Dec. 1, courant.com, "Legislators' First Cut Should Be Pension Perk"].

SEEC also administers our nationally admired Citizens' Election Program, which provides grants for election campaigns for seats in the state House and Senate and for executive offices. Once elected, grantees owe no quid pro quos to special interests. Connecticut legislators who served before and after this program became law in 2005 are witnesses to its value.

"Get rid of the public financing of state elections," writes Mr. Rennie. Why would we want to? Public funding allows idealistic young candidates to challenge incumbents. Besides, grants (0.0001 percent of the state budget) come from money realized from the sale of abandoned property in the state, not from taxes.